​In the world of spirit animals and animal totems, you have a shadow animal. These creatures represent your hidden or dark side. It reminds me of basic psychology where you dislike traits in other people that you have. I resented my stepfather because he procrastinated while I did it too. Consider which animal you can’t stand. It could be your shadow animal. Every creature has good qualities and needed messages. Today’s shadow animal is the goat. If you dislike the goat, it may be because of its general aggressiveness. Too often people see cartoons or comics with a goat butting into everyone with hurtful results.

We once owned a goat. I think my mother thought it would keep the grass at a moderate height. It didn’t run around butting everyone, when it did it was a soft nudge more a bid for attention than anything else. What I did notice the goat would consume weeds, sticks, even while the cows and horses only ate grass and clover. A goat can take what’s provided and make something good out of it. Goats are adaptable. They can live in high and low terrains. Many animals died after moving to a different climate or deprived of a traditional food source.

The goat is surprisingly independent. Unlike sheep, cows, or even horses, a goat can survive on its own. Intelligence, surefootedness, and persistence contributes to its ability to live almost anywhere. While most people choke about their livestock or pets not being able to survive on their own, a goat could. It’s a forward thinker. It doesn’t spend time sulking over something that didn’t work. It may analyze what didn’t work, but it keeps moving forward. It’s both ambitious and intuitive.

Ever watch goats in a petting zoo? They automatically know which kids have food pellets. They’re good at reading body language and responding.

Goats have appeared in religion for years. Often they served as sacrifices. The Jewish tradition involved a goat that symbolically bore the people’s sins, let loose in the desert. This is where the term scapegoat came from. In retrospect, I realize a goat is probably one of the few creatures that could have survived in a desert. Many cultures had gods with horns with goat faces symbolizing virility. The ability to procreate was very important in ancient cultures.